Madras High Court Seeks Report on Delay in Registering Election-Affidavit Complaint

The Madras High Court asked a Chennai Metropolitan Magistrate to explain the delay in numbering a complaint alleging electoral misdeclarations by Udhayanidhi Stalin.

Background and legal issue

The complainant, P Milany, said that he filed a complaint under Section 125A of the Representation of the People Act in September and that it remained neither numbered nor returned. He alleged false statements in an election affidavit, allegations that have not been adjudicated.

Court's reasoning and legal position

Justice V Lakshminarayanan sought a report on how long the Magistrate would require to process the complaint. The direction concerns administrative progress and does not amount to taking cognizance or deciding whether any electoral offence occurred.

Operative effect and next step

The Magistrate must report on the delay. The underlying complaint will follow the legally prescribed scrutiny and procedure.